The Redstone Rocket:
The Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command’s G-8 leader was named the Army’s best when it comes to managing the command’s budget.
Col. Donald Cook, SMDC/ARSTRAT deputy chief of staff, G-8, was informed March 24 he would be the recipient of the Fiscal Year 2014 Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) Capstone (Military) and Military Comptroller Awards.
The ASA(FM&C) Awards Program recognizes and acknowledges the outstanding contributions of Army civilian and military financial managers.
The Capstone Military Award recognizes a Soldier serving in a leadership capacity who the assistant secretary of the Army personally cites for outstanding contributions to the field of resource management. The winner of the Comptroller award is a staff member responsible for obtaining, administratively controlling and accounting for funds needed to secure required resources. They are cited for coordinating efficient and effective utilization of organization resources and identifying innovative ways to improve fiscal management and financial processes.
“I’m humbled to have even been nominated for either award, let alone be selected to receive them both this year,” Cook said. “I’m deeply grateful to my team and SMDC’s leadership that they’d do me the honor of submitting my name for consideration.
“For me, it’s a great honor and a humbling one. As I said, I simply represent the work of the folks that make it happen day in and day out. For the command, I think it validates the credibility we hold at (Department of the Army headquarters) for being on top of our game and able to readily execute the resources provided us, and for being straight shooters who can effectively articulate and support our issues.”
Cook organized and led his team to successfully receive and allocate more than $615 million in operation and maintenance appropriation; research, development, test and evaluation; and other procurement appropriations.
To make the situation even more complex, the appropriations consisted of a mix of customer and direct funds. He achieved this while simultaneously managing furloughs, a government shutdown and a 16 percent topline budget decrement. Moreover, Cook was successful at articulating critical and unique space and global missile defense operational no-fail missions to the Army Budget Office, which provided almost 30 percent more in funding for mission critical needs directly supporting national defense.
Cook established and chaired meetings involving the command’s analysts, requirements owners and Army Contracting Command representatives in order to collaborate efforts and foster communications throughout the Army.
“I am pleased to announce that our G-8, Col. Mike Cook, has won two FM&C Resource Management awards for the command: capstone and military comptroller,” said Lt. Gen. David Mann, SMDC commander. “I believe that the vast majority of our hard working G-8 team could be the poster child for this award. These are prestigious and very selective awards presented to only three personnel in the Army at the Capstone level.
“Congratulations to Col. Cook and the entire G-8 team. We are so proud of all your efforts. Well done.”
Cook took on difficult tasks benefiting the command, such as management improvements including an updated, auditable reimbursable policy; identification of mission essential tasks to better articulate risks associated with Army Workforce Warfighter Review position cuts; and definition of day-to-day business processes to meet audit readiness requirements. These changes impacted the command’s mission success and better postured the command for future internal and external audits…
